Warning device for typewriters



Jan. 27, 1942. A. R. BRUN 2,271,414

WARNING DEVICE F03 IYPEWRITERS Filed June 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J2 mm AZb/Z :9 372472.

Jan. 27, 1942. A. R. BRUN WARNING DEVICE FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed June 15, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3mm AZer-a E, 272472- Patented Jan. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE The present invention relates to a signal or warning device for use with typewriters, and refers particularly to a mechanism for indicating when the end of a page has been reached.

An obiect of the inventionAs the provision of a warning device, which may be easily and quickly applied to, writer.

Another object is to provide a warning device having a swinging striker arm which is capable of beingswung rearwardly to inoperative position, so that it will not interfere with the insertion of a new sheet of paper into the typewriter. In the present invention, th striker and detached from, a typearm is associated with a paper-engaging lev'er,

whereby the paper being typed maintains the lever in a predetermined position, which lever, in turn, holds the striker arm in operative striking position until the end ofthe page is reached. When the paper releases the lever, the striker arm is thereby allowed to drop and sound the alarm. The association between the striker arm and lever is such that movement of the arm to inoperative position also moves the lever to its lowest position, whereby the new sheet of paper may be easily inserted without any interference from either the lever or striker arm.

A further object is the provision of spring means associated with the striker arm, whereby the spring will exert a restraining force on the arm when it is moved to inoperative posi- Figure is a side elevation showing the repeating mechanism applied to a typewriter and associated with the warning device;

Figure 6 is a front. elevation thereof, and

Figure 'I is a detailview of the repeating mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral I I0 designates generally my signal or warning device comprising a base H, a striker arm I2, and a paper-engaging lever l3. While my device is capable of accommodating many types of typewriters, in the present instance, it is particularly adapted for use with a well known make of typewriter, in which the left-hand end of the platen or roller I4 is provided with a circumferentially reduced section l5.

The base H comprises a flat plate-like portion l6 (seeFigure 3), which is adapted to rest upon, and be supported by, the paper rest I! of the typewriter. The forward end of the portion I6 is provided with a flange l8, which contacts the top of the paper rest, and this flange is, in turn, provided with one or more projections l9, which are substantially parallel, with the plate-like portion l6, and cooperate therewith to clamp the base upon the paper rest. As shown tion, tending to lock the arm in this position,

said spring, when the striker is in operative position, exerting pressure to move the arm to sound the alarm.

Another object is to provide means associated with the paper engaglng lever, for repeatedly actuating the lever and striker arm to constantly sound the alarm after the lever is released by the nap With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will now be more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

in Figure l, the upper edge of the paper rest is received and clamped between the Projections l9 and the portion l6 of the base. One portion of the flange I8 is extended downwardl and is bent upwardly to provide a. bellflange 20, upon which a bello'r oth medium 2| is removably secured ,by fastening element 22. e

At the left-hand edge of the base, as'viewed in Figure 3, there is formed an upwardly projecting flange 23 spaced rearwardly from the flange l8. That is, the flange 23 is'adjacent the rear left-hand corner of the base, with its rearmost portion projecting beyond the rear end of the plate-like portion l6. 1 This flange constitutes a support upon which the striker arm I2 and plate-engaging lever l3 are coaxially} and pivotally mounted, and is provided with a hole or opening 24 for this purpose. The striker arm l2 comprises a longitudinally extending section 25 having a front flange 26, which, in turn,.is

provided with a projection zlada'pted to strike the bell 2|, and thereby sound the alarm when the striker arm is released and permitted to be moved downwardly. At the rear end-of the striker arm, there is a downwardly projecting flange 2t provided with an opening 19, which registers with the-opening 24; ofthe base flange 23. A rivet, or other fastening element 30, is

. the roller.

provided to pivotally secure the striker arm on the flange 23. This rivet also passes through an opening 3| in the paper-engaging lever l3, whereby the lever and striker arm are pivoted coaxially on the flange 23.

As will be observed (see Figures 1 and 3), the forward end of the lever I3 is mounted on the pivot 33 between the flange 23 and the rear end of the striker arm. The lever I3 is provided with a curved end portion 32, which is'so located when the warning device is attached to the typebe shifted to a position outside of the circumference of the roller M. The spring 33 will maintain the lever and striker arm in this position. so that a sheet of paper may be easily and quickly inserted into the typewriter. The base i3 constitutes the left-hand paper guide of the typewriter, and the paper is adapted tov contact the flange 23 so that it will slightly overlap the roller l3 and thereby be positioned between the writer, that it will be positioned directly below the reduced portion of the roller. The lever i3 is also provided with an upstanding flange 33, within which is formed the pivot hole 3|. The flange 33 has an inwardly extending projection 34, which is spaced from the front end 35 of the portion 32 and forms a stop for engaging a rearwardly extending projection 33 of the flange 23 of the striker arm l2. The flange 23 is also provided with a flat abutment 31 spaced from the projection 33, which is adapted to contact-the projection 33 of the lever when the striker arm is moved to inoperative position (see Figure 2). This projection 34 contacts the projection 33 for limiting the downward movement of the striker arm 12, and for maintaining the arm in operative striking position when the lever I3 is in contact with the sheet of paper which is being typed (see Figure 1).

While the device may perform satisfactorily with the construction as thus far described, I prefer to provide spring means for facilitating not only the striking action of the striker arm, but also for locking the arm in its inoperative position. This means comprises a coil spring 33, the forward end of which is secured to a transverse arm 39 projecting inwardly from the front of the flange 23 of the base II. The rear end of the spring is secured to an arm 33 projecting inwardly from the flange 23 of the striker arm and located between the projection 33 and abutment 31 (see Figure 4).

The relationship between the several elements is such that, when the striker arm is in its operative striking position, as shown in Figure l,

the spring will be located above the pivot 33, and thereby exert a forward pull upon the rear end of the striker arm and thus tend to urge the arm downwardly into contact with the bell 2|. when the striker arm is moved to-its inoperative position (see Figure 2), the spring will be located below the pivot 33, and the spring action will thus tend to urge the arm rearwardly, and

thereby lock the latter in its raised inoperative position.

Referring to Figure 3, it will be observed that when my warning device is attached to the paper rest [1, the lever l3 will be positioned below and within the area of the reduced portion I! of If there is no paper in the machine, and assuming that the striker arm is in the dotted line position shown in Figure 1, the spring 33 will maintain the curved portion 32 of the lever in engagement with the reduced portion l5, this also being shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. when it is desired to insert a new sheet of paper into the typewriter, the striker arm 12 is first moved to the position shown in Figure 2. Just before the .arm reaches the extreme upward position,'the abutment 31 will contact the projection 34 on the lever and move the lever away from the portion 13 of the roller.

reduced portion I! of the roller and the curved portion 32. of the lever.

The next operation is to move the striker arm to the position shown .in Figure 1. This will swing the lever 13 into engagement with the paper ll, where it will be held while the paper is being typed. Since the projection 33 is in contact with the arm 34, the lever l3 will maintain the striker arm in its operative striking position against the tension of spring 33. The striker arm and lever will continue to be maintained in this relation until the end of the paper is reached; thatis, until the end of the paper passes beyond the extreme end of the lever 32. When the paper thus releases the lever, the latter will swing about its pivot until it comes into contact with the reduced portion l3. This action will also have the eiiect of releasing the striker arm l2 from the position shown in full lines in Figure 1, and the action of the spring will be such as to draw the arm down quickly so that the projection 21 contacts the bell 2i and sounds the alarm that the end of the page is being reached.

It will be observed that the striker arm is shown in dotted line position in Figure 1, with the projection 21 spaced slightly from the rim of the bell 21. This is due to the fact that the undersurface of the striker arm normally rests upon the arm 33 of the base after the alarm hasbeen sounded and before the striker arm'is moved to inoperative position. It is to be understood, however, that the arm does not constitute an obstruction which, might prevent the projection 21 from striking the bell. The striker arm is-of suilicient' resilience, and the, downward pull of the spring is such that the projection 21 will always strike the bell with sufiicient force to give the signal that the end of the page is being reached. It is to-be understood that if desired, the, arm 33 could be positioned so that the projection 21 will always be in contact with the bell 2| when the striker arm is in its lowered position. It is to be further understood that the striker arm, when released by the lever l3, will, naturally, fall by the force of gravity, and that this, of itself, would be sufficient to provide an operative structure. However, I prefer that the spring 33 be incorporated,

since it tends to draw the striker arm downward Referring again to Figure 1, it will be observedthat the length, of the curved portion 32 of the lever I3 is such that it will be released by the paper when the typing on the paper is about an inch from its lower edge. with this arrangement, it will be apparent that the signal will be given just before the last few lines are being typed. It is to be understood, however, that the timing of the signal may be regulated as desired,

by changing the length, of the curved portion 32 of the lever. That is, by either shortening or lengthening the lever, the signal may be given at an earlier or later time, as desired. In other words, if the lever is shortened, the signal may be given when the typing has reached a position an inch and a half or two inches from the lower edge of the paper, orif the curved portion 32 is lengthened, the signal \will not be given until the typing is almost at the lower edge of the paper. I have found that the relative proportions as shown in the drawings are quite satisment may be applied to the right-hand side 01" a typewriter instead of the left-hand side, as

- shown in the drawings. This would necessitate pivoting the striker arm and the paper-engaging lever on the right-hand side of the base l6. It is also possible that the attachment may be positioned adjacent the center of the typewriter. In this connection, it would be necessary to provide a circumferential groove in the roller at that point to accommodate the lever l3, so that it could be moved about its pivot when released by the paper. All of these contemplated changes are within the scope of the present invention, 1

since the relative arrangement of the base, striker arm, and paper-engaging lever are substantially the same and function in the same manner to give th alarm or'signal. Referring to Figures 5, 6, and 7, there is'disclosed an arrangement to permit the striker arm to be repeatedly actuated, so that there will be a constant sounding of the alarm after the paper releases the lever l3. With this construction, it is not necessary to change or re-design the warning device in any manner, since the repeating mechanism constitutes a separate element which is associated with the curved end ur 6, the repeating member is illustrated as being applied to a typewriter in which the roller 44 is not provided with a reduced or shouldered portion such as that disclosed in Figure 3. In this arrangement, the disc is provided with a centrally disposed opening 45 for receiving the roller shaft 46. A pair of holes 41 are formed in the disc to permit suitable screws, or other fastening elements, 48, to be used in securingv the disc to the roller 44. It will be observed that the teeth project. outwardly from the left-hand edge of the roller. and are so positioned'as to be in alignment with the lever I 3 when the Waming device It is attached to the paper rest 49 of the typewriter.

Referring to Figure 5, it will be observed that the lever I3 is in engagement with .the paper 4| and thereby maintains the striker arm l2 in 7 its operative striking position. However, when up the end of the lever between a set of adjacent teeth, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 5. This action also releases the striker arm it, permitting the spring to move the same downwardlyso that the projection 21 strikes the bell 2i and sounds the alarm.

As the roller 44 rotates, it will carry with it the disc 42. The teeth 43 will thereby rotate, and they are so spaced that when theroller is rotated a distance corresponding" to the double space of the writing, another tooth oi the disc will engage the curved portion 32 ofthe lever and again depress the same. This will have the efiect of raising the striker arm to striking position. However, as the disc rotates, the tooth will slide past the end of the lever, again permitting the lever and striker arm tomove about their pivotsso that the arm is forced downwardly by the spring and again sounds the alarm.

This operation will be repeated indefinitely, as each tooth engages .the lever and actuates the striker arm.

It is to be understood that the number of times that the repeater actuates the alarm is depend ent upon the length of the curved portion of the lever l3. If this lever is relatively short, as illustrated in Figure 5, the alarm will be sounded four or five times before the end of the page is reached. However, the relationship between the lever and disc may be varied as desired, so that any definite number of signals may be given before the end of the page is actually reached.

The repeating mechanism, as shown in the drawings, comprises a one-piece integral construction. It is to be understood, however, that the disc may be formed of two pieces so that it may be readily applied to and removed from the roller shaft of the typewriter. If the repeating mechanism is to be used with a roller having a reduced portion, such asshown in Figure 3, then the disc will be applied to the edge of the reduced portion with th teeth projecting inwardly over said portion, rather thanoutwardly,

as shown in'Figure 6. It will be apparent that the teeth may be of any desired length suflicient to overlie and be in the path of the lever l3; also, that the spacing between adjacent teeth may be varied, so as to changethe timing of the signals, as desired. It is to be further understood that the invention is not limited to the details of construction shown in the drawings, and that the phraseology employed in the specification is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

I claim:

1. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted to be supported upon the typewriter, a sounding medium carried by the base, a paper engaging lever'movably mounted on the base and adapted to contact and be maintained in a predetermined position by the sheet of paper being typed, a striker arm movably mounted on said base, and interengaging means on said lever tion relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the paper, said lever when released by the paper being movable on thebase to permit movement of said striker arm to strike the sounding medium and signal that the end of the sheet of paper is being reached, said str1ker arm being movable on said base to an inoperative position, the movement of said striker armalso eflecting movement 01' said lever to an inoperative position to permit insertion of another sheet oi paper in the typewriter.

2. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted to be supported upon the typewriter, a sounding medium mounted on the base, a paper engaging lever pivotally mounted on the base and adapted to be maintained in a predetermined position by the sheet of paper being typed, a striker arm pivoted coaxially with said lever, and interengaging means on said lever and arm for holding said arm in striking position relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the paper, said lever when released by the paper being movable on the base to permit swinging or said striker arm into contact with the sounding medium and signal that the end of the sheet of paper has been reached.

in contact with the paper, said lever when re-- leased by the paper being movable on the base to permit movement of said striker arm to strike the sounding medium and signal'that the end of th sheet of paper is being reached, said striker arm being "movable on said base to an inoperative position, and spring means connecting the striker arm and base and adapted when the arm and lever are in operative position to urge said arm into engagement with the sounding medium,

said spring means, when the arm is in inoperative position, being adapted to urge and maintain said arm in said inoperative position.

4. A signal device for typewriters comprising Y a base adapted to be supported upon the typewriter, a sounding medium carried by the base, a paper engaging lever movably mounted on the base and adapted to contact and be maintained ina predetermined position by thesheet of paper being typed, a striker arm movably mounted on said base, interengaging means on said lever and arm for holding said arm in striking position relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the paper, said lever when released by the paper being movable on the base to-permit movement of said striker arm to strike the sounding medium and signal that the end of the sheet of paper is being reached, said striker arm being, movable on said base to an inoperative position, the movement or said striker arm also efiecting movement oi said lever to an inoperative position to permit insertion of another sheet of paper in the typewriter, and spring means connecting the striker arm and base and adapted when the arm and lever are in operative position to urge said arm into engagement with the sounding medium, said spring means when the arm and lever are in inoperative position being adapted tomaintain said elements in said inoperative position. 1

5. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted to be supported upon the typewriter, a sounding medium mounted on the base, a paper engaging lever pivotally mounted on the base and adapted to be maintained in a predetermined position by the sheet of paper being i typed, a striker arm pivoted coaxially with said lever, interengaging means on said lever and arm !or holding said and in striking position relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the paper, said lever when released by the paper being movable on the base to permit swinging of said striker arm into contact with the sounding medium and signal that the end of the sheet or paper has been reached, and a coil spring having one end connected to the base on one sideof the pivot point 01 the arm and the other end connected to the striker arm on the opposite side of said pivot point, said spring in one position of the striker arm exerting tension to move the arm toward the sounding medium, and in another position of said arm exerting tension to lock said arm in inoperative position.

6. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted .to be supported upon the typewriter, a sounding medium mounted on the base, a paper engaging lever pivotally mounted on the base and adapted to be maintained in a predetermined position by the sheet of paper being typed, a striker arm pivoted coaxially with said lever, interengaging means on said lever and arm for holding said arm in striking position relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the paper, said lever when released by the paper being movable on the base to permit swinging of said striker arm into contact with the sounding medium and signal that the end of the sheet of paper has been reached, and a coil spring having one and connected to the base in advance oi" the pivot point of the striker arm,-the other end of the coil spring being connected to the strikerarm adjacent to and in rear of said pivot point, said coil spring, when the striker arm is in operative striking position, being above the pivot point and exerting tension to move the arm toward the sounding medium, said spring when the arm is in inoperative position being below the pivot point and exerting tension to lock said arm in inoperative position.

7. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted to be supported on the paper guide of the typewriter adjacent the platen and having an upstanding flange, a sounding medium mounted on the base, a paper'engag'in'g lever pivotally mounted on said base flange and having a curved paper engaging end portion, said lever naving a transverse projection in rear of and adjacent the pivot point, and a striker arm mounted on the base coaxially with said lever and having a rearwardly extending projection engageable with the transverse projection on the lever and maintained thereby in striking position when the curved end of the lever is in contact with a sheet of paper, said lever when released by the paper, being adapted to swing with the transverse projection, upwardly about its pivot, and thereby permit the striker arm to swing downwardly to strike the sounding medium.

8. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted tobe supported on the paper guide of the typewriter adjacent the platen and having an upstanding flange, a sounding 'medium mounted on the base, a paper engaging lever pivotally mounted on said. base flange and having a curved paper engaging end portion,

said lever having a transverse projection in rear of and adjacent thepivo't point, and a striker arm mounted on the base coaxially with saidlever and having a rearwardly extending projection' engageable with the transverse projection on the lever and maintained thereby in striking position when the curved end of the lever is in contact with a sheet of aper. said lever when released by the paper, being adapted a to swing with the transverse projection, upwardly about its pivot, and thereby permit the striker arm to swing downwardly to strike the sounding gaging position 'as the striker arm nears the end of its rearward movement.

9. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base adapted to be supported on the paper guide of the typewriter adjacent the platen and having an upstanding flange, a sounding medium mounted on the base, a paper engaging lever pivotally mounted on saidflange and having a curved paperengaging end portion, said lever having a transverse projection in rear of and adjacent the pivot point, a striker arm mounted on the base coaxially with said lever and having a rearwardly extending projection engageable with the transverse projection on the lever and maintained thereby in striking position when the curved end of the lever is in contact with a sheet of paper, said lever when eleased bythe paper being adapted to swing w h the transverse projection upwardly about its pivot and thereby permit the striker arm to swing downwardly to strike the sounding medium, and a coil spring having one end connected to the base in advance of the pivot point of the striker arm, the other end of the coil spring being connected to the striker arm adjacent to and in rear of said pivot point, said coil spring, when the striker arm is in operative striking position, being above the pivot point and exerting tension to urge the rearward extension on the striker against the transverse projectionon the lever and thereby move the striker arm and lever about their pivots when the lever is released by the sheet of paper, said coil spring, when the striker arm is moved to inoperative position, being moved to a positionv below the pivot point to thereby exert tension to retain the striker arm in-inoperativ position.

10. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base having a substantially flat portion adapted to be supported upon the paper guide of the typewriter, the upper end of said base terminating in a downwardly extending flange engageable with the top of the paper guide, a sounding medium mounted on said flange, a paper engaging lever movably mounted on the base and adapted to contact and be maintained in a predetermined position by the sheet of paper'being typed, a striker arm movably mounted on said base and having a striking portion extending beyond the upper end of the base and engageable with the sounding medium, and interengaging means on said lever and arm for holding said arm in striking position relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the.

paper, said lever, when released by the paper, being movable on the base to permit movement of said striker arm to strike the sounding medium and signal that the end ofthe sheet of paper is being reached.

11. A signal device for typewriters comprising a base having a substantially flat portion adapted to be supported upon the paper guide of a typewriter, the upper end of said base being bent at substantially right angles to the flat portion so as to overhang the top of the paper guide and being provided with a projection spaced from and extending substantially parallel to the flat portion of the base so as to engage the rear top portion of the paper guide, a sounding medium mounted on the upper bent portion of the base, a paper engaging lever movably mounted on the base and adapted to contact and be maintained in a predetermined position by the sheet of paper being typed, a striker arm movably mounted on said base and having a striking portion extending beyond the upper end of the base and engageable with the sounding medium, and interengaging means on said lever and arm for holding said arm in striking position relative to the sounding medium when the lever is in contact with the paper, said lever, when released by the paper, being movable on the base to permit movement of said striker arm to strike the sounding medium and signal that the end of the sheet of paper is being reached.

ALBERT RENE BRUN. 

